


Carry Me

by freshiewrites, SansyFresh



Series: Hurt/Comfort and Stuff [11]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Agoraphobia, Alternate Universe- Horrorfell, Angst, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Emotional Trauma, Famine - Freeform, Fluff, Haphephobia, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Panic Attacks, Psychological Trauma, Random Panic Attacks, Reader doesn't have a gender, Reader takes no shit, Trauma, Underfell but there was a famine, hunger, my own take on Horrorfell, reader is short, sweet reader, this is gonna be fun you guys, yet at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:52:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freshiewrites/pseuds/freshiewrites, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/pseuds/SansyFresh
Summary: You were a light in an otherwise dark world. Papyrus and Sans honestly needed someone to be on their asses about even trying to heal, and be on their asses you did.A Horrorfell Papyrus/Reader and Sans/Reader.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Series: Hurt/Comfort and Stuff [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1250096
Comments: 55
Kudos: 229





	1. When I'm Not Strong

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tangles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22458358) by [popatochisp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/popatochisp/pseuds/popatochisp). 



> guess what guys lol i had another idea XDD
> 
> this one is gonna be spastic updates, like with everything else i write, but im excited to write it so we'll see how far that takes us!!
> 
> please read the tags, there's a lot going on in this one
> 
> enjoy!!

He’d been looking for the brand of rotini he’d discovered the last time he ventured out to this particular store when the attack hit. It was… more than annoying, at this point, the feeling of his chest constricting, tears bubbling to his sockets as the desperation to get out, get away hit him harder than Undyne ever could. He was left breathless, eyelights naught but pinpricks in his sockets as he stared down at the cause of this whole situation: the human who’d thought it’d be a brilliant idea to start screaming at him in the middle of a packed grocery store.

He’d already been on edge, just from the amount of people coming, and going, and bustling past with no more thought to him than to anyone else going by. He was somewhat grateful for that fact, but when he’d reached down to grab a box of macaroni for his brother (Sans had grown fond of the stuff, now that they had actual cheese made from dairy), some human had tried to take the box out of his hand. Confused, he’d simply held onto the box, noting the badge on the human’s shirt that read their name, and the logo of the store. 

When he didn’t say anything to their questions, and didn’t relinquish the box of what was just macaroni noodles, they started yelling. 

They’d been yelling, for security, for their manager, at him, until they grew red in the face. 

And he’d been hit with a particularly violent panic attack, which he was all but shocked out of when some random, short, buff human came around the corner, semi full basket in hand. They took one look at the screaming employee, and with a single rear back decked them in the face. Papyrus found himself speechless, but this time for a much different reason. The employee went down on their ass, holding both hands to their now bleeding nose, and the human who’d come to his rescue was walking over to him, rubbing their knuckles as they looked up at him with nothing more than sympathy in their eyes.

“How you doing, man? I heard them yelling from way across the store, I’m sorry no one did shit until I got here.” Your voice was almost soft, with an undertone of scratchiness that reminded him of his brother’s. He almost didn’t even realize you’d spoken, asking a simple “Can I touch you?” until you were gently taking his hand in your own once he’d nodded, leading him back to his cart and putting your basked in the baby seat before pushing it down the aisle.

You helped him get the rest of the items on his list, including helping him find a better deal on a few more pricey things that he wouldn’t have figured out on his own. He’d only ever bought things he knew he liked, but maybe it would be better to try something new and slightly less expensive, less straining on his and Sans’ stipends. 

Not that monsters were allowed to go hungry. Not after the Queen herself had stepped up and taken over managing the population. Undyne had done her best in a bad situation, but she was also dealing with the consequences of her LV raising so high. She’d stepped down when Toriel had arrived at the castle, handing her the crown before heading back to her little house in Waterfall to finally mourn what she’d lost. 

You knocked him out of his thoughts as you showed him a small package of what appeared to be a bright yellow cheese. He looked at you, questioning, and you answered as if you hadn’t already asked. Probably more than once, if the amused look on your face was any indication. 

“I wanted to know what kind of cheese your brother likes?”

Papyrus thought for a moment… then carefully opened his mouth. “I… believe he enjoys whatever cheese comes in powdered form, with the macaroni and cheese.”

Your face scrunched up in distaste, and for a moment he really thought it was because of his voice, broken and disused. However, you grabbed a few packages of different cheeses and put them in your basket, nodding firmly to yourself and you started down the aisle once more.

He followed, like a lost puppy he thought scornfully, until you reached the check out and helped him cash out his stuff. In the end he had to put back three items, all on the more expensive end, your eyes squinting in distaste at the sign proclaiming the total price.

Once both you and himself were done paying for your goods, you led him outside, glancing around. 

“So how’d you get here, big guy?” you asked, his eyelights coming to land on you once again. You were looking up at him with a determined look in your eyes, some intention hidden from his view.

“I walked.” He tried, the noise scratched up.

Your eyes widened, before you were gently taking his hand once more and leading him down the aisles of cars this time, to a small chevy pickup. 

“She’s not much, but I can get you home. Hop in!”

Somehow, he really didn’t feel like “No” was a valid answer at this point. He owed you, for the protection, for the guidance, and for generally being a good person. So. He “hopped in.”


	2. Getting Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we meet Sans!
> 
> these boys are dealing with some serious shit   
> tags for: anxiety, panic, paranoia, Sans having a bad time controlling his emotions
> 
> enjoy!

Papyrus stared out the window of the little truck as they passed by neighborhood after neighborhood. It had been an experience even getting into the truck, seeing as how he wasn’t exactly a small skeleton in terms of height. You had tried to hide your mirth as he finally finagled his way into the tiny seat, his spine bent at an unnatural angle and his skull well under the windshield. There was… a reason he usually walked places. 

You had climbed in after securing the groceries in the bed of the truck, turning the radio on a decent volume and starting down the road, Papyrus surprised a bit that your seemingly innocuous choice of radio station had turned into a more chill, laid back vibe of music. He was sure it was for his own benefit, which felt sour in his soul. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus! At least, he used to be. These days, he didn’t feel so terrible, not in the fearsome sense. 

He’d told you an address that was close enough to his own, not really trusting you to know exactly where he lived. You were amenable enough, driving him right to the spot of his neighbor’s after putting the address in your maps app on your phone. You’d given him a bright smile as you helped him separate his groceries from your own, then drove off with pop music playing in the air. 

He watched for a while, making sure you didn’t return for any reason, and walked the remaining block and a half to his and his brother’s house. The paint was peeling, the windows airy and dusty. He hadn’t had the umption to clean them, not since they’d moved in. Life was hard enough without him having to use ladders and pulleys and ziplines to clean up the damn outside of his own house.

It still ate at him, the uncleanliness, the sheer dirt and dust that sat around, waiting to be cleaned up by someone a little more motivated than himself. It… was difficult. Putting it lightly, to care about much of anything these days.

Walking up the sidewalk, he felt more than saw Sans staring out the windows at him, likely anxious out of his mind since Papyrus had taken less time to get back than he usually did. When Papyrus staggered up the steps and to the door, it opened immediately, revealing a very paranoid looking Sans, his hand itching at the hole in his skull. He only did that when he was feeling especially spacey and anxious, meaning it was time for an Intervention.

“Brother, if you would so kindly get the fuck out of the way, I will bring in the groceries and we will make dinner. How was your day while I was gone?” The snipe seemed to get Sans out of the daze he was in, scowling as he sidestepped out of Papyrus’ way and let him in. 

“Well, fer starters, yer back earlier than usual. What happened?” 

Papyrus felt the wash of a check on his soul, his eyelights soaring upwards as the sharp intake of breath behind him made his skull ache. “Whatever it said, I’m fine now. Someone helped me with the situation, and drove me home.” Turning, he found Sans gripping his own arm tightly, staring off into space. Putting the groceries on the living room table, he took the two long strides to stand in front of his brother, gently taking his face in his hands. 

“Brother. Listen to me. I am fine. I will remain fine, and if at any point in time I am not fine, you will be the first to know.”

Sans took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly, repeating the process a few times until his eyelight was no longer trembling in its socket. 

“Okay bro.” He muttered, then looked up. “What’d you say about food? Did you get any mac?”

Papyrus sighed. “Yes, you fucking heathen.” He was relieved, however, that Sans had stopped shaking.

He didn’t notice the text from a number he didn’t know until later that night.


	3. A Trust Confident Perhaps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay new chapter!!!
> 
> enjoy :D

It didn’t take very long for Papyrus to immediately start panicking over the damn message. It was a simple one, just a little thing to let him know that you cared and that stuff he assumed but it was very very easy to wonder how the hell you’d even gotten his number.

Was he that forgetful these days? Forgetting things immediately after doing or saying them was more his brother’s bag, but perhaps, after all the fucking trauma and shit, whatever it was that shitty therapist had said, maybe he was losing his edge.

Oh, who was he kidding, he’d lost his edge the day Undyne threw him out in contempt of the court, he and his brother living as hermits in a dying society. It’d been hard, harder than anything they’d ever gone through, but now here they were, on the surface and still not a penny to their name.

 **Random Number** : _hey tall dude, I just wanted to make sure you went into the right house!! Let me know if you need a ride anywhere else! ;D_

It was the damned emoji face. Was it a sign? Did it mean that he should take the rest of the message as a joke? Was it just some weird form of communication that only his brother would be able to parse?

It was as infuriating as it was anxiety inducing, and he was OVER IT. He was going to ignore, no, DELETE your message, and there would be little you could do about it! Unless… it was genuine, and you’d be sad to never see nor hear from him again?

Agh, interaction was the most difficult shit!!!

He didn’t hear Sans walk up behind him until he was right over his shoulder, carefully not touching even as his annoying hot breath blew on the back of Papyrus’ neck. Papyrus turned just enough to shoot him a look, something along the lines of “Hello? Yes? What the fuck do you want?”

Sans just stared down wordlessly at his phone until Papyrus sighed and titled it up, allowing him to read the text. Sans looked it over a few times, or maybe once, it was hard to tell with how difficult Sans could find it to focus these days. 

Finally, he backed up, gave Papyrus an unimpressed glance, and headed for the door.

“Just text ‘em.” He said, simply, and Papyrus glared hard at his back until he was through the door and down the hall. Glancing back at the phone, he huffed and threw the phone to his bed, swiveling around in his chair until he was facing the computer once more. He had a few replies to do, a couple of asks that needed tending to… and there came his anxiety, rendering him unable to even consider doing anymore than rereading them right now. Whoever decided starting the cooking blog for vegan monsters had been a bad idea. He hated his brother for it.

A new ask caught his eye, the notification pinging up just as he was about to turn away.

 _faroutcupcake asked_ : **Hello oh great and maleficent BoneLordChefxX, would you do us the honor of letting us see what you look like? Its no trouble if you’d rather not! We’re just a curious lot, and would love to get to know you better!**

He stared at it for a good, few, long moments. Then bolted for his phone. He needed advice knew only one current person that would give to him straight. And it wasn’t his brother.


	4. The Child and You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooo an update for this wonderful mess of a fic :D
> 
> Papyrus is uh. Dealing with a lot lol good thing you're on the case! or will be lol

It took a very, very stupid amount of time for Papyrus to finally get up the nerve to even open his message from you again, let along answer it. It was very innocuous, but that damn emoji stared back at him in mocking delight and he was left wondering just why you cared. Obviously you weren’t a monster hater; that much was clear from how you had defended him at the store. 

Finally, he grit his teeth, forcing himself to write a very fast and simple message before slamming his phone face down on his desk and returning to ye ole social media. It was the only way he kept in touch with a few of the other monsters from Snowdin that tolerated him and his brother; Grillby being one of them. 

Papyrus didn’t remember getting along very well with Grillby before, but once they’d surfaced, the flame always brought them over a dinner meal that lasted a few days on the weekends, and was also very insistent that Papyrus be his friend on the Overnet. Or, well. They called it the “internet”, didn’t they. Dreadfully horrible at naming things as Asgore was, Papyrus suspected that humans were even worse. 

It took perhaps half an hour for a response to come back, the buzzing of his phone startling him out of watching a cooking video. He’d been taking notes on how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies; Sans was fond of them, no matter what he said about Papyrus having a sweet tooth. 

He stared hard at the back of his phone, sitting innocently on his desk after the single vibration, and after a long moment… he picked it up, turning the screen around to face him.

Random Number: I’d love to help you out! Let me know when’s a good time to call and we’ll talk vegetarian/vegan!

He swallowed, scratching the tip of his nose before setting his fingers to type once again.

The Nefarious Papyrus: Well I would have to say that I much prefer talking in person… is there any possible way we could meet up?

He sent the text before he could talk himself out of it, panicking a little once again but this time for a much different reason. There was no way that a human that had saved him from a racist of their own kind would try anything against him or his brother… he’d have to meet up with them in a public space however, just to save his own nerves. 

The library sounded perfect, and he told you so when you texted back to ask him where he’d like to meet. They had free wifi, and no one would think twice about him being there as it was a place that he frequented often to find cooking books and manuals. Yes, it was the perfect location to meet with you and see if you really cared, or if you were watching him and his brother to find weaknesses to exploit.

Something in his said that he was reading far too much into this. That he wasn’t heading into a trap, that he was letting his paranoia get the better of him. The rest of him screamed to be cautious, that no one was what they seemed on the outside, and that he was lucky to still have most of his strength he’d had Underground as Sans was left with but a fraction of his own magic after the… accident.

Papyrus still wasn’t sure that he forgave Undyne for nearly killing his brother. He cared about her, he loved her like a member of his family… but he would never be able to trust her again.

He stared at the phone, waiting for another response past the bright “Okay!” you’d sent, but after 20 minutes there was nothing else. He turned back to his show, finishing the recipe video that he’d started and writing down the last note before stacking the note card with all his others, grabbing one at random and standing with a creak. Heading for the kitchen, he listened at Sans’ door to make sure the fiend was actually sleeping, before leaving him to his slumber. 

It was a night to experiment, and Sans wasn’t particularly fond of those. Sometimes the results were delicious, sometimes they left things to be desired, such as taste and general edibility. Tonight was a pasta night, and those were the ones that ended up being the best. 

He mechanically made and rolled out fresh pasta, the flour dusting his apron as he prepared sausage and the cheap mushrooms in a pan while the pasta dried. It was soothing, cooking. Something about it brought back a sense of control that Papyrus had lost hold of long ago, after the human had left the Underground in the worst way they could have.

He threw those thoughts out of his mind, refusing to remember the child (demon) and what destruction they’d wrought. You weren’t like them, he could tell just from the “vibes” you gave off. He knew you wouldn’t try to kill him or his brother, you wouldn’t even dare, not in a public place.

Something about the entire situation put him on edge, leaving him a trembling mess as he carefully laid the pasta out to be boiled, Sans finding him standing in front of the stove with a far off look in his eyes. 

“Yer okay bro…” he whispered, gently patting Papyrus’ back until he came around again, dutifully bustling around the kitchen.

“Sans you’ll have to excuse the mess, I’m going to clean as soon as the water is boiling for the pasta!” he said, carefully not looking directly at Sans, who was studying him with the patient, timed stare of a Judge… and an older brother.

“Yer need rest, Pap.”

Papyrus stopped, closing his eyes, before shaking his head. “No, no I do not! I need to make dinner, and then find my laptop bag so I can go to the Library on Tuesday and meet with a nice human I met, and they aren’t like the Human and its going to be fine!!” At the end he slammed down a pan, regretting it almost instantly as Sans winced. 

“Oh… I’m sorry brother, I-”

Sans shook his head, gently putting the pasta noodles in the boiling water. “Don’ worry ‘bout it.”

Papyrus grit his teeth, but didn’t say anything. There was food to finish, after all.


	5. Its a Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo a chapter from this account because i dont currently feel like switching accounts!!!
> 
> anyways, warnings for panic/anxiety/intrusive thoughts, although this is a pretty fluffy chapter lol
> 
> enjoy!!

Tuesday had arrived, and Papyrus was… NOT panicking. He was strategically scoping out the library around two hours before you’d agreed to meet him, watching the time tick down on his phone with baited breath that was becoming more and more difficult to maintain, but he was not panicking. 

Panicking would mean that he’d have an attack, here in front of the three people that were here using the computers on the other side of the building, and that was just not acceptable. Then he’d have to walk home because he still didn’t have a mode of transportation and was that you outside??

He looked out the window, straining his neck to see if he could spot you again, only for you to waltz right through the front doors and start looking for him. He nearly called it off right then and there, fangs grating a little as he tried to breathe through the rising dread in his chest. But even as he was trying to decide which window to jump out of (and he hated that it had come to that, he really liked this library), you caught sight of him, smiling brighter than the sun as you jogged over, quietly calling out his name.

“Hey Papyrus, long time no see!” You said, Papyrus floundering like a fish out of water before he finally got a hold of himself, shaking off the panic with a vigorous movement. If you noticed, you didn’t say anything, which was another mark in the book of “reasons I like this human”. He set his shoulders, then finally opened his mouth.

“I’m surprised you actually deemed it fit to meet with me, I know I make a very intimidating profile and-”

He stopped, noticing that you were still smiling even as you were sitting in front of him on the other side of the table, and just when had you sat down??

“And… and I really would like some advice because I run a cooking blog. And there are many things with human cooking that I do not yet understand.”

He stopped, feeling as though he’d revealed too much, anxiety riddling his soul, but you only nodded stoically, bringing the bag that was around your shoulder up and onto the table. 

Out of it you retrieved a book, filled with post it notes and sticky tabs, and a large worn ringed note book that had so many extra paper stuffed into it that he wondered how it hadn’t exploded yet.

“This is my stash of shit I’ve learned over the years. Its very sacred texts, handed down from generation to generation.” You said, face stone cold as you suddenly moved the stack over to his side of the table. He stared at you, uncomprehendingly, as you grinned. 

“I don’t… I’m not worthy of such heirlooms. I can’t take your “stash”?”

You laughed then, shaking your head as you reached into the bag again and pulled out both a pencil and a highlighter… as well as a shiny new notebook. 

“Nah. I just figured it’d be best for you to be able to write down whatever you needed to and take that with you.”

He stared at you for a long moment, trying desperately to decide if you were a worthy adversary or just plain stupid, but decided against looking a gift horse in the mouth. 

He spent the next two hours with you, talking about veganism versus being vegetarian versus all the other kinds that technically allowed eggs, or chicken, or fish, but not meat. Something about it appealed to him; living Underground for all those years with so little to eat had both made him appreciate the food he had… and made him squeamish about some things.

You happily answered every question he had, from why vegans didn’t consume animal products, to why red meat didn’t have as much nutrients as fish. 

When it hit 3 in the afternoon you’d had to leave, citing that you needed to be at work before 4 and it would be a 20 minute trip to get across the city in order to be on time.

“Fine, but we will meet again to discuss more of this!!” Papyrus exclaimed, and you’d given him the same smile you had when you’d led him around the grocery store.

“Sure thing, big guy. It’ll be a date.”

And with that you were off on the adventure of the rest of your day, and Papyrus was left… having to walk home with the panic from earlier finally settling in now that he wasn’t in “work mode”. 

Over thinking every single thing either you or he had said, over analyzing the ways you’d described to him how to best cook fish since whenever he’d tried before, it always ended up dry instead of moist and flaky. 

What did you want? Why were you helping him, without a single request of your own? There was no one in this world or the next that Papyrus trusted not to have an agenda, other than his brother. And hell, a lot of the time Sans DID have an agenda, even if his were often not of the nefarious sort. 

No, he’d need to figure out what your game was, and what you wanted from him for all these favors. Surely it would be something important, seeing as how you’d shared your best culinary notes with him of all people, human and monster alike. 

Stepping inside the house as he finally arrived back home, Papyrus set his bag down on the couch, noting a lack of Sans downstairs, but that there was a suspicious snoring noise coming from upstairs. Rolling his eyes, he retrieved his laptop from the bag, booting it up as he headed for the den. The carpet was soft under his bare feet, something that the carpet in their house Underground had never been. He relished in the feeling, and the soft colors of pain on the walls, and the dark curtains that shaded his computer den, and-

Wait. A DATE????

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed, consider leaving a comment!! and if there's any tags anyone would like added, no matter the reason, just leave me a comment saying so!


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